§ 49. Mr. Bulmerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to take into account the effect on rural areas of the increase in petrol prices to be introduced to compensate for his phasing out of the road fund licence in future determinations of the rate support grant.
§ Mr. Guy Barnett:There will be discussions with the local authority associations on the effects of phasing out the road fund licence. Any increase in local government expenditure arising from the change will be taken account of, in the total of local government expenditure analysed in the assessment of authorities' expenditure needs. It is not, however, possible to forecast in advance how much extra rate support grant authorities will receive as a result.